New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba revealed during Tuesday’s locker cleanout that he played the entire postseason on a broken ankle.
Trouba was sidelined for a three-week spell in March due to a lower-body injury, now revealed to be a broken ankle. The 30-year-old captain said “a big chunk of his ankle came off, according to Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
The chunk came off a bone that was not weight-bearing, which allowed Trouba to walk normally but caused him to feel some discomfort while skating. Trouba clarified that he didn’t want to use the injury as an excuse for his postseason performance.
The Rangers’ Stanley Cup hopes ended on Saturday following New York’s 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Trouba played through his ankle injury in all 16 of the Rangers’ playoff games, which included a 4-0 sweep of the Washington Capitals and a 4-2 series win against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Rangers blueliner finished the postseason with one goal and six assists.
Prior to the playoffs, Trouba missed 11 regular season games in March—which coincided with a 9-2 stretch for the Rangers which saw New York play some of its best defense of the season.
Trouba has two years left on his contract and is set to earn $8 million annually.
KRISTEN WONG
